New study proves someones "god" is nothing more than one's own image! Religion crumbles...

I chose not to call you liar because I cannot prove you are a liar , good sir.

In the absence of finite or corroborative evidence I can but work off my intuition. Intuitively speaking, I do not believe in you. I detect
exaggeration. It is my right to do so.

Not believing in you and calling you a liar are indeed incongruous. That's why I opted for the former and not the latter or both. What's your
point?

You've completely sidestepped the scripture I was kind enough to accrue on your behalf by the way. This is the book of your God is it not? Are you
honestly telling me that you can't draw a correlation between the verses found in Mathew and what you've just done? Your public declarations of your
hardships blatantly contravene this. By and large, Christian scripture teaches that it's followers must suffer in silence and offer it up for the
greater good.

What shocks me the most is how you're going about defending your declarations by professing 'there's plenty more where those came from' or 'you
ain't seen nothin' yet'.

As a Christian, do you not see how you're repeating the exact same mistake that I've called you out on in your attempts at defense?

Secondly, I can understand what you're trying to say in relation to our actions being contrary to our principles. I have no idea what your attempting
to say in the following:

'we project the enemy onto the other'

Is this just a case of poor grammar? What 'other'? Is the 'other' not the enemy (in which case you're saying we project the enemy onto the enemy)
or is the 'other' referring to another (in which case you're saying we project the enemy onto each other)? Are we talking about a conventional
Freudian projection?

There exists a body of psychological work that would suggest to the open-minded individual that most Christians are self-deluded "fictionalists"
who's psychological deficiencies compel them into a fantasy role-playing game where they can finally feel that they are "special" to somebody
important

not that any of this even bothers me in the least. I think that's one of the things about me, that reas can't wrap his head around. He just can not
insult me.

So why the "I'm more intelligent than you" attitude and watered down insults. Even if they were part of the original study you could have left them
out.

I never just haul off and rip somebody up one side down the other
especially not for what they believe. I feel I have no say so in that at all.

So when I see it being done I think" on auto " that they must be thinking
the do have a say so. So there you go.

Hence the LACK of faith, for, as the researchers pointed out, faith can only exist in a climate of doubt. If you are absolutely certain the sun will
rise tomorrow you cannot be said to have faith in the sun, since having faith admits that the sun might not rise. The ACT of Faith, especially in a
Christian context, is to cling to your beliefs in spite of the fact that there are valid reasons for you to question them. Only a few of the
Christians surveyed actually expressed any doubts about their church or their personal God.

Faith can only exist in a climate of doubt? Absolutly true I could have just told them that. Not exactly a revelation. In fact I'm more fascinated
with
the fact they were 100% onthe sun rising tomorrow on a world that isn't
100% on anything except death and taxes.

Originally posted by A Fortiori
There were maybe three people who actually talked about the topic. He was not one of them even though it was his thread.

I read the thread via threading the OP's posts, and not once did I see any reason for them to be banned, he/she was on the defensive almost from the
start.

The OP may have not gone about replying to people in the best manner possible, but was not offensive and as far as I can see did not break any of the
T&C.

There were far more offensive and off topic posts directed AT the OP, which did not even consider the topic, and attacked things like them having
children, etc.

That is the point I brought up earlier, which indicates moderation bias. The OP was crude at times but usually on the defensive like you say. They
have some of the biggest threads on ATS under their name, then all of a sudden BANNED. Why no warning, why no locking of the thread. This all just
feels underhanded to me.

So reas is banned ?
Well I'm not at all happy to hear that.
See what reas didn't even know any of the people He was so
quick to insult. If you seen me on the street you would never guess I was a Christian. In fact the only reason I claim Christianity is because
I will never deny Christ. Believe this no matter about anything else.
I believe in God nothing else makes any sense to me. I believe the Christians have it right. I seperate my self from everything in org.
religion that you say you hate because, this is the kicker you aren't the only one who hates that crap.
So I don't write off God just religion.Now what is the difference between you and me? You have the advantage over me on that. I would assume his
lifestyle. What I'm not supposed to say that. right away he is on me for that and he never let up. So now this.

All over nothing. Not one thing accomplished accept hard azz feelings.

Guys, we're not supposed to discuss the reason behind bannings. And no, to put everyone's mind at ease, it had nothing to do with this thread.
Sometimes it's not always apparent like someone having multiple accounts or committing u2u violations like harassing other members or sending spam.
It's not always a public event that results in a ban.

Please nobody panic. We don't ban due to opinions and no one has been banned or will be banned due to their opinions expressed in this thread.
Sometimes things happen behind the scenes and it's unfortunate. Sorry to be off topic. It just seemed a lot of members were concerned and I wanted to
help get the thread back on track.

Firstly, all I'm asking is for folk to substantiate their statements and for the provision of an admission when they're wrong. What kind of world
would we live in if the antithesis was always allowed to occur, Sheeper?

Secondly, you're implying that my lexicon is indicative of an individual that is ostentatious and snobbish. Bit of swooping generalization, methinks.
Your gripe with me is more of a reflection on how you don't view yourself rather than how you view me.

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People
Like I said before, I'm not a big "God" believer, but what does my belief or your belief or anyone else's belief have anything to do with whether
or not God exists?

...And what do the sins of organized religions have anything to to with the existence or non-existence of God?

...And what difference does it make that a human brain decides to use its past experiences to create God in its own way?

I'm sorry, but if supreme creator of the universe exists, it exists whether we believe, don't believe, hate to believe, create "a God in our own
image" in our brains, or create one that is totally foreign to us. What we believe about God could be irrelevant.

Excellent answer. Two thumbs up from me.

How dare you use critical thinking and logic however

The very word "Atheist" is an enigma. Can a true Atheist even exist? To even say truthfully there is no God, you would have to have all knowledge.
Since nobody does, Atheists are actually Agnostics. Saying there is definitively no God is an act of faith in itself. Nobody can possibly know that,
so it must therefore be faith based.

I find it easy to spot the irrational haters, who's point of view is based on hate for whatever reason. They always show a definite pattern in their
post and the threads they start.

As far as that study goes, it is based on the assumption that God does not exist because of the way people interpret Him/Her. I'd give that an "F".
The article was only published because the author was grasping for straws (Straw Man I should say) to come up with a way to prove the unprovable. He
may as well pretend to know how the Universe came into existence.

The fact Humans are flawed is a given. What they should be studying is why are some of us so intolerant and hateful towards others? Why do people hate
others because they believe different or look different? The answer of course is fear. What we don't understand we fear. What we fear we come to
hate. Overcoming that is a doorway to the next level. Religion is not the enemy. Fear and Hate are the enemies.

Originally posted by die_another_day
religion is the only thing that made people believe that there's an invisible man.

Yes to the Non believers God is a invisible man. To me God is a invisible intelligence beyond our understanding.

That's why i always mention "Non existence and Existence". They both exist but in different dimensions.
We cant see Non existence that's why God becomes invisible. That's why God is so hard for us to see. We cant see the dimension of non existence.

S&F's to you Sir. In support of what you are trying to convey, you come to an example rational folks can hopefully digest.

The Aztec's had NO CLUE as to what a Christian God or Jesus looked like. No idigenous peoples did... Their Gods were often a combination of symbols,
animals and themselves until Christains forced images of Jesus upon them.

Jesus don't look like no Mexican
Jesus don't look like no Asian
Jesus don't look like no African

It's ashamed 90% of all Latino's, some who have never seen a white face in person have been bamboozel'd into abandoning their ancient beliefs and
replaced with a Jewish man on a cross, and a woman with a rosary.

MIND CONTROL GOES FOR MANY GENERATIONS... and it all leads to the Pope's headquarters. WHY?

To support the OP's theory... It shows to all loud and clear... who ever has the biggest gun... dictates what another's God should look like.

Sorry, but I bow to no thug. Looks like I touched a nerve again, with all the smiting chatter your spewing.. I'm quakin' in my boots.. the end times
are comin'! what'll happen when I don't bend my knee for the lord? oh... the fear..... someone hold me

oo oo this must be where I get needled. Save it.loser. I'm not doing this with you again. So you want to touch a nerve wait for Moocowman.
oh but you will.

by sweetums.

[edit on 1-12-2009 by randyvs]

"Save it. loser."
..you're just divine aren't you buddy..

Why dont you..

Practice what you preach.

Best quote i can give to the folks on this thread..

Interesting that randyvs did not get so much a slap on the wrist for that attack, not a removal of it with mod notice. I counted dozens of other
attacks, the OP even being slimed for having children and more. Yet the Atheist OP was banned. But it's ok the mods said the banning was justified
so who am I to disagree. Post history indicates the OP had issues against religion not that he was attacking people behind the scenes, spamming or
other secret acts. Apologies for the off-topic post, for some reason I have taken a lot of interest in this thread, it's become a litmus test to
determine wether I really want to be here or not.

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